Please join us for a FREE
WINTER MAINTENANCE
WORKSHOP
WHO: Open to all!
WHAT: Our service team will go through a short checklist to make sure
your trucks are ready for winter. Following that, our sales team will go over
Snow Plow ready trucks, what is included in the Snow Plow Prep Package,
New Plows and Spreaders. We will have Reps from Boss, SnowEx and
Western to answer any questions.
WHERE: Hare Truck Center 3477 Conner St. Noblesville IN
WHY: To make sure you’re ready to go before the snow flies!
WHEN: Thursday October 8th, 2015 - 4:00 to 6:00 pm
STAY FOR A COCKTAIL AND DOOR PRIZES!

Please send news items and photos to
news@hamiltoncountybusiness.com
Submission does not guarantee publication

Subscription $20/year
To subscribe or advertise,
contact Mike Corbett at

mcorbett@hamiltoncountybusiness.com

Cover photo by Mark Lee, Great Exposures

4

Copyright 2015 Hamilton County Media Group.
All rights reserved.

October â&#x20AC;˘ November 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ Hamilton County Business Magazine

Your Local Community Bank
I’m Karen Miller, President and CEO of The Farmers Bank.
Whether you are starting a new business or growing an
existing business, our experienced business lenders are here
to help businesses of all sizes. I am pleased to introduce
two who recently joined our Hamilton County team in our
Fishers office.

Alan Oyler
Alan has over 30 years of commercial
banking experience, working with both
large and small banks. He is a longtime
resident of Noblesville, where he
currently resides with his wife Debbie.

Brian Carroll
Brian has over 30 years of banking
experience, starting at a small bank
in Jeffersonville. Brian spent the last
19 plus years managing a commercial
lending group in Indianapolis.

Local people making local decisions for local businesses. We know the value of quick decisions and a quick turnaround.

Three Hamilton County Locations:
Fishers

7126 East 116th Street
(317) 841-5960

Noblesville

16940 Clover Road
(317) 773-3100

Sheridan

987 S. White Avenue
(317) 758-9620

Serving Hamilton County and supporting our community since 1880

C hurch
C hurch
H ittle &
A ntrim

Great people, relaxed venue,
appetizers and drinks (the fun kind)

On the second Tuesday of each month
at Morty’s Comedy Joint
3625 E. 96th St., Indianapolis
Check website for details

Letter from the Editor
October • November 2015
A hearty congratulations to Nate Lichti and his crew at HAND (Hamilton County Area
Neighborhood Development) for negotiating a deal to buy the site of the old Noblesville
Milling Company. I serve on the board of the non-profit HAND, and I’m proud of the group
for conceiving a vision for that property. Adaptive reuse is a crucial element of quality
placemaking, as described in one of this edition’s stories (page 18). HAND wants to retain
at least part of the old wooden structure, and somehow incorporate it into a mixed use
development on the property, preserving an important reminder of Noblesville’s past as
a nationally-known flour mill. Its a great example of some visionary leadership being
expressed at the right moment.

The Shiny New Thing

Mike Corbett
Editor and Publisher

I attended the recent “Boost Your Small Business with Facebook” program, sponsored by
our chambers. The crowd was impressive…hundreds showed up at the Carmel Renaissance to learn how to use the social media site to grow their businesses. I doubt I could
have drawn a similar crowd for a “Boost Your Business with Hamilton County Business
Magazine” program, but magazines aren’t the shiny new thing in media marketing. We’re
more of a tried and true solution.
I had to cringe a bit when one of the presenters actually suggested the attendees “cut your
magazine budget” to free up funds to “try Facebook.” Hey, I would never discourage anyone
from trying something new, especially social media, which is proving to be an effective
way to get in front of people. Heck, we’ve even been running columns (see page 10) for the
past few editions trying to figure out how to make the most of Facebook.
And, I confess I have probably suggested in the past that a prospective customer tap into
another medium’s budget in order to give us a try.
So I don’t fault Facebook for taking their show on the road in an effort to boost sales. But
I do feel compelled to remind you of our benefits as well. We don’t have a billion people
logging on all over the world (Facebook’s most recent milestone) but we do have thousands
of influential people right here in Hamilton County who look forward to receiving the print
magazine every other month, and checking out our website. We reach the people here in
your market, where you likely have most of your sales.
Furthermore, money invested in Facebook (or Google or any of the national search engines) flies out of this community never to return, whereas dollars invested in local media
support local journalism, local chambers, local businesses and our local non-profits. Facebook came to town for a day but didn’t even bother to join the Chamber.
It’s budgeting season, and as you are considering your marketing investment for next year,
please keep us in mind. We’ve worked hard over the years to establish ourselves as a reliable source of news and advertising for business people in Hamilton County, and we are
committed to this community in a way that our national competitors aren’t. Our rates are
affordable for any size business and we haven’t raised them in seven years. Just send me
an email and I’d be happy to reply with details.

See you around the county,

Editor and Publisher
mcorbett@hamiltoncountybusiness.com
317-774-7747

6

October • November 2015 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

In a world of shovels, you’re a bulldozer.
Welcome to the bank that thinks like you do — Lake City Bank.
With flexible loans, credit terms, online banking and more,
we give your business everything it needs to hit the ground running.
After all, we’re the largest bank solely dedicated to Indiana.
Drop in.

lakecitybank.com

Celebrating 100 Years of Service.
What’s in a name? If the name is Campbell Kyle Proffitt LLP,
the answer is 100 years of outstanding legal representation.
Hamilton County has changed plenty over the past century.
One thing that hasn’t changed is CKP’s firm commitment to
meeting the legal needs of its clients. Since our inception in 1915,
our reputation for honesty, fairness and results has stood the
test of time. Put 100 years of experience to work for you today.
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7

Management
By Dr. Charles Waldo, Ph.D.

How do you Motivate Employees?
Motivation: “The condition of being
eager to act or work on something.”
-Merriam-Webster Free Dictionary
“If you want to have a motivated team,
first get rid of those who aren’t selfmotivated.”
-Former football coach and
motivational speaker Lou Holtz
Quick, before you read further, recall
a job or project you had (or have)
which you performed at 1) a high level
of competency and 2) felt very good
about. What were the key factors or
conditions that led to that high performance and good feeling? What motivated you to excel? Jot them down.
Now think about a job or project that
didn’t go very well and/or you felt bad
about. (We all have them.) What were
the factors and conditions which killed
or diminished your motivation and/or
ability to do your best work and succeed? Jot them down.

1,700 employees. From the results he
formulated his famous Motivator-Hygiene Theory (sometimes referred to as
the Two-Factor Theory), which divided
the samples’ answers into two groupings: Motivational or Hygiene Factors.

vation in and by themselves. In order
of frequency of mentions the top six
Herzberg Hygiene factors were:

Motivational factors were those felt to
lead to consistently high, self-motivated
performance. The top Motivators arrayed in order of frequency of mentions were:

 Quality supervision (18%);

 Job achievement – able to do the

about commissions shortly) (8%);

work at a high level of proficiency
(mentioned by 42% of the respondents);

 Being given a good degree of responsibility and authority over how the
work was done (18%);

These were the basic questions psychologist Dr. Frederick Herzberg
 Having a decent and fair chance for
job advancement if desired (10%);
pondered back in the 1950’s-60’s which
resulted in his landmark book Work
 Personal and professional growth
and the Nature of Man (World Publish(6%).
ing, 1966) and his subsequent 1968
The key here is that the more of these
article in the Harvard Business Review
factors are part of the job and job
“One More Time: How Do You Motivate
conditions, the higher the motivation
Employees?” which became one of the
to excel.
HBR’s all-time, best-selling articles.
(Read it on-line by
Googling the title.)
Good company policies are expected
Herzberg, then Professor of Psychology at
but don’t get much credit for motivating
Case Western Reserve
University, Cleveland,
employees, but they become huge
tackled the questions
demotivators when done poorly.
head-on with an initial sample of accountants and engineers
at a Pittsburgh steel
How did your self-analysis of a job very
plant by simply asking them the same
well done align with Herzberg’s results?
types of questions posed above. Then
Hygiene factors are those usually
he and his research team expanded
present in a work setting designed to
their sample to a variety of job titles
support high performance but which
and organizations, including a couple
do not usually lead to high self-motioverseas, eventually surveying around
8

 Company policies and administration of them (mentioned by 35% of the
sample);

Did any of your Performance Motivators align with Herzberg’s Hygiene
Factors?
Herzberg theorized that, even if a
Hygiene factor is present in a positive
way (i.e. the organization has good
company policies and administers
them effectively), it essentially gets no
“credit” — employees are not motivated
to go “all out.” Good company policies
and their effective administration are
expected and more or less taken for
granted. But—
Hygiene factors become DE-motivators
and DIS-satisfiers when done poorly
and adversely affect employees. Thus
company policies deemed unfair or
poorly administered become “thorns
in employees’ sides” and motivation to
perform their jobs well is negatively
affected. He theorized you might like
your work team but they probably won’t
positively motivate you all that much.
But, if you don’t like them, your performance will be adversely impacted.

What About Money?
Have you ever run into anyone who
believed they were overpaid? We’re all
worth a LOT more than we’re receiving,
at least in our own minds. For most of
us, a salary is probably not a motivator to daily high performance. Annual
raises, if they come at all, are usually in
the 2 – 4% range, and after deductions
for taxes, fringes, and inflation, are

October • November 2015 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

hardly noticeable in paychecks. Plus, if
just about everyone is getting the same
kind of raise, that’s hardly recognition of
your performance.

ing #10 vs. #20 is probably not all that
much but it’s the bragging rights and
sitting at the table with other very top
achievers that motivates him.

But, if we believe we are being underpaid versus the market and/or peers in
a similar position, our salary becomes a
demotivator and we might start looking
at the Help Wanted ads or Monster.com.
Salary is a Hygiene factor.

What about perks such as free coffee,
free lunches, a game room, a workout
facility, casual dress, working remotely
part-time, etc.? Do they motivate to high
performance? While most people would
agree that free lunches, for example,
are a nice perk, would anyone work for
a company primarily because of free
lunches? Or a game or workout room?
Would they consistently work harder
and better? It’s good to have a big bundle
of “bennies” which can help keep employees satisfied but don’t confuse satisfied with “highly motivated to perform.”

A different situation is presented by
salespeople on high commissions where
the more they sell, the more they make,
sometimes a lot more. But, even here,
if one is not recognized for high levels
of achievement or is being micromanaged by a boss she doesn’t respect,
production will be down and the person
will be looking for a job elsewhere. For
example, I know one high performing
salesperson who wants very badly to be
part of the President’s Roundtable (the
top ten producers out of about 500 total)
each year and busts his hump to do so.
Especially in the last quarter of the year
he is seldom at home and is on edge
(and on his phone or computer) most of
the time when he is. His family suffers.
The income difference between be-

So What?
Herzberg’s work has taken some flak,
partially because of a perceived too
small sample. But are his theories still
valid? To me, my experiences plus the
enduring sales of his HBR article and
its inclusion in many business books
supports its validity. But what do you
conclude from your experiences?
Especially if you are a business owner,

Community Bank
Community People
Community Focused

a manager, or a supervisor and want
the best performing organization and
employees possible, you should have
a vital interest in Herzberg. The old
adage, “Different strokes for different
folks,” certainly holds true. You’ve got to
know your people and what turns them
on or off.
Was Herzberg on target and is he still
relevant? I am interested in hearing your take on Herzberg, possibly
publishing reader results (with your
permission) in the next HCBM. Email
me at cnwaldo@comcast.net. Thanks in
advance for your perspective.
“Everyone kind of perceives me as
always being angry. It’s not anger, it’s
motivation to get the batter out.”
-Baseball pitching great Roger
Clemens
“You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.”
-Basketball great Michael
Jordan HCBM
Charles Waldo, Ph.D. is Professor of Marketing (ret.) at Anderson University’s Falls
School of Business. He can be reached at
cnwaldo@comcast.net.

Banking with Friends
You Know and Trust
Visit us at our
New Lending Office
5570 Pebble Village Lane
Noblesville, IN 46062
Loan office only, no deposits will be accepted at this location.

Casey Arnold
VP Commercial Lending
(317) 750-3195

Greg Goff
VP Commercial Lending
(317) 727-7259

October • November 2015 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

cfbindiana.com
9

Technology
By Kristin Fettig

Navigating the Facebook Feed
New rules make it harder to find new fans
Facebook started it, Google is doing it and Twitter has one. The
algorithm. What exactly are these recent algorithm changes
and what does it mean to the business owner on social media?
When Facebook introduced “Pages” for business brands eight
years ago it propelled Facebook out of the “friend zone” into
the business and enterprise world. We have watched Facebook’s user base grow, and as of the second quarter of this
year, Facebook had nearly 1.5 billion monthly active users.
American users spend nearly as much time on the site per day
(39 minutes) as they do with people face-to-face (43 minutes).
Facebook is an online advertising giant that generated $12.5
billion in revenue in 2014 and is set to increase that number
in 2015, with over 2 million advertisers. Business brands and
the agencies that manage them have a learning curve to traverse from the Golden Days of FREE Facebook. Learning how
to maneuver the new and ever changing rules can be a source
of frustration for the small business owner struggling to stay
relevant on social media.

Facebook knows more than we probably want them to know.
However, looking at the glass half full, they are using this information so the business owner can micro-target their exact
customer and advertise specifically to them. Using geographic,
demographic, industry, age, gender, and even behavioral data
makes it easy for the business owner to identify exactly who
their customer is and advertise to them. They just have to pay
for it.
The new rules also punish users by diminishing reach if there
is overly promotional content in an unpaid post. If there are
specific calls to action, if the same content is used from an ad
or if there are specific keywords that FB flags as a promotional,
they will diminish the reach even further. As altruistic as Facebook claims to be about it saying it is responding to users, it
really boils down to ad procurement and claiming the revenue.

Nurture Your Contacts

Some businesses have spent years accumulating “likes” and
followers and done so with the understanding that those users
Microtargeting
would always be accessible to them. What this means is these
brands are now forced to pay to play when they want to have
According to Facebook, the News Feed has been fueled by
the same amount of reach. There is worry across the social
automated software, a mechanism that tracks each user’s
media stratosphere that brands
actions, who and what
with large Twitter followings will
they like, and feeds them
suffer through the same transition
posts they are most likely
and have to spend more for the
to engage with based on
As altruistic as Facebook claims to be…
same amount of reach.
their history. Believe it
it really boils down to ad procurement
Before you throw up your hands in
or not, one of Facebook’s
despair know that 60% of consummost current approaches
and claiming the revenue.
has been to employ a
ers will visit a Facebook site prior
group of “panelists,” live
to a brick and mortar store, 80% of
people that weed through
consumers are inclined to purchase
and find the most interif there is a credible Facebook page
and 62% of consumers say FB is the most important and useful
esting content and monitor and recommend what is shared.
social media channel to research small local businesses.
Facebook’s most recent algorithm change has profoundly affected how content is seen and shared, and who it reaches.
So where do you, the business person, need to focus your enAbout 14 months ago a business page could expect their content to show up in their fans’ News Feed about 20% of the time.
As of last April the average dropped to 1.6-2%. Facebook says
the average user has access to about 1,500 posts per day but
only looks at 300. Facebook considers thousands of factors to
decide which of those 300 posts are most interesting and how
they will show up. Factors like: do they use Messenger, how
often do they engage, how often do they watch video, how slow
is their connection?
10

ergy, time and money?
• Get back to the roots of why social media was created—to Be
Social! Talk TO, not AT your fan base. Engage, communicate,
share, tell stories and humanize your brand.
•

Be much more strategic in connecting and building
relationships. It’s no longer about the number of LIKES, it
is how you are communicating and how well you KNOW
your fans.

October • November 2015 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

•

Be judicious in how you boost your
posts. There is not a good ROI
correlation between boosting posts
and obtaining paying customers.

• Use targeted ads and make your
customer feel welcome! Offer them
something of value for free.
•

Be consistent, authentic and use the
same “voice” across all of your social
media channels so your customers
will recognize you and your brand.

• Create high-impact, meaningful ads
that tell a story. Think about how you
want your audience to respond. Use
Emotion, Motion and Color to stand
out.
• Follow-up and nurture your contacts
quickly. Do what you say and follow up with a giveaway, coupon or free
promotion. This also will allow you
to gather e-mails for future
communication.
•

Think about your marketing mix. 2016
is a good time to evaluate your
marketing strategy and how social
media marketing will factor in.

Keeping up with the newest algorithm
and changes in the digital marketing
realm can be daunting. If you approach
this task with open-minded enthusiasm
it can be a great way to get to know your
customers on a different level. Utilizing
the tools and insights that Facebook provides will actually, in the long run, help
you to stretch your advertising dollars.
It is important to stay up with the latest
innovations and opportunities with this
new and agile world of marketing. Being
where you customer is and meeting them
in the places they reside is key. Knowing that most of the populace now “lives”
online, the business owner, to be relevant,
must live there also. HCBM
Kristin Fettig is CEO of Social Order, Inc., a
social media marketing and management
company specializing in small business.

October • November 2015 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

11

Self-Improvement
By Robby Slaughter

Productivity and Other Drugs
Why productivity is more satisfying than drugs
A left over saying from the Just-Say-No era insists: “I’m not
high on drugs, I’m high on life.” While many of us may cringe
when we hear this statement, most of us can also silently acknowledge its allure. Everyone wants
to be happy. Don’t we all—at one
time or another—partake in caffeine,
alcohol or cigarettes as a way to
make life easier? Would we really be
better off if we were completely, 100%
drug-free?
The philosophical questions may be
murky, but our scientific knowledge
of drugs is incredibly rich. Researchers have extensively studied how we
metabolize these chemicals. We understand their short-term impact in
almost every part of the body and we
have extensive data about long-term
effects. The psychology of drugs, however, may be even more interesting to
layman than the biochemistry. Current models explain patterns
of use, abuse and addiction with startling accuracy. We know
why we start, how to stop, and the reasons it’s so hard to quit.

A Devastating Paradox

influence. Sober people make good choices; drunks make bad
choices. Instead of making us more cautious, alcohol generates
one of the most self-destructive emotions possible: a false sense
of confidence.
Similar issues exist for other
so-called recreational drugs,
but the fundamental question
is about why we use them. In
all cases, drugs help us to have
physiological sensations that
we desire. They create shortterm perceived benefits. We
like what they do to us, even if
we don’t appreciate what they
do for us over the course of our
lives.

An Alternative
The ultimate purpose of any
drug is substitution. We use caffeine instead of getting enough
rest; we smoke cigarettes instead of relieving stress through
healthy means; we drink alcohol to escape the day and give us a
sense of satisfaction. When used in moderation, most substances are not dangerous. Yet there is an alternative to drug use to
address our day-to-day challenges.

Of all of the casual drugs, however, alcohol may be the most
Instead of drinking glass after glass, consider the impact of
curious. Although about half of adult Americans consume beer,
being productive. Conducting and completing tasks generates
wine and liquor at least monthly, the vast majority of those
a sense of accomplishment. Finishing your work on schedule
who drink do so safely and without any serious health risks. Yet
gives you the time to relax. Knowing that you’ve fulfilled your
according to a 2010 study
promises may be the greatest drug of all.
from the Centers for DisBest of all, getting hooked on being proease Control, a record 15%
ductive will only make you healthier and
of all Americans “regularly
We like what drugs do to us,
happier!
binge” on alcohol. Most
It’s no easy task to embrace accomplishment
even if we don’t appreciate
people don’t have a drinkas a mechanism for improving your welling problem, but those
what
they
do
for
us
over
the
being. But we all know the small rush of
who do put themselves at
checking something off your list. Build your
a serious threat of injury,
course of our lives.
day not around getting to the reward, but
disease, or death.
finishing what you started. That’s a healthy
Furthermore, the physiway to feel better, and one that will carry
ological effects of this drug
you forward in the short and long term. HCBM
creates a devastating paradox. Most drinking occurs in enviRobby Slaughter is a workflow and productivity expert. He is the
ronments where you need to have good judgment, yet alcohol
author of four books, and a principal with AccelaWork, a speakimpairs judgment! The worst time to make a decision about
ing and consulting firm. More information at www.accelawork.
whether you are too buzzed to drive is when you are under the
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October • November 2015 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

13

Cover Story

HAUNTED
hamilton county

Photo by Mark Lee

Westfield couple finds eager market for ghost stories
By Shari Held

life without ghosts is like an Indiana spring
without showers to Westfield resident Nicole
Kobrowski. As a child she experienced strange happenings in her home in Anderson, Indiana. Things
that were never really logically explained.
“It all just became a part of me and a part of the way
I grew up,” she says.
After she left home, her paranormal experiences continued, and Nicole
began a quest to learn all she could about apparitions and things that go
bump in the night. When she and her husband Michael left Germany and
set up residence in Hamilton County in 2000, they turned their mutual
love of history and all things paranormal into a profitable side business—
Unseenpress.com and Historic Indiana Ghost Walks & Tours.
“We’re here to provide some entertainment, some history and ghosts—if
you believe in them,” Nicole says. “That’s really what it’s all about.”
14

October • November 2015 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

The Tour Biz

Paranormal Publishing

“We knew lots of cities throughout the
U.S. had had ghost tours for years, and we
started wondering why the Indianapolis
area didn’t have any,” Nicole says. So, they
logged many hours on the Internet or at
libraries, searching for “known” haunted
areas, then interviewed business owners and homeowners in the surrounding
neighborhoods to uncover their own
stories.

Michael, who initially wasn’t convinced
ghosts existed, recalls trekking up and
down the whole stretch of Massachusetts
Avenue asking “everybody and every business” if they had any ghosts.
“Some people gave us strange looks, but
it was amazing how many people were
willing to give us stories and share their
experiences,” he says. “Collecting all these
stories made me believe in ghosts even
more than I did at that time.”
In 2001 they introduced their first tour,
the “Ghosts of the Underground Railroad”
in Westfield. Additional walking tours in
Westfield, Noblesville, Indianapolis and
Anderson followed and they expanded
into bus tours. All their tours give partici-

“We did it a little bit backwards and
started the tours first,” Nicole says. “But
writing is one of my passions, so the books
and the publishing side were just a normal
extension of the business.”

The buildings occupied by The Painted Cottage
are home to the ghosts of a man and woman,
believed to be occupants of the former Underground Railroad and funeral home site.

pants a large slice of history alongside the
ghost stories, an ongoing trend for tours.
And how do you go about marketing
ghost tours and books? The Kobrowskis
ran ads and placed information in the
event section of local newspapers initially.
“Now everything’s moved online,” Michael
says. “Facebook and Twitter is where a lot
of people find us now. And, of course, our
website.”

The desire to own their publishing company stemmed from Nicole’s disillusionment
with the low pay authors receive from
traditional publishers. She’d experienced
that firsthand when she wrote English as a
Second Language books while in Germany.
Another factor was the limited audience
for books featuring Indiana history and
Indiana ghosts.
Unseenpress.com has since published
three more ghost books as well as Fractured Intentions: A History of Central State
Hospital for the Insane, which garnered
great reviews and spirited sales. Books
can be purchased at Unseenpress.com,
Amazon, independent shops in Westfield
and Anderson and, on a seasonal basis,
local museums.

Meet
Greg Kuhn
Senior Vice President

Indiana Business
Bank

- More than 20 years
lending experience

- As a shareholder of
Indiana Business Bank,
I have an owner’s mentality
and look at the bank as my
own small business

We attract and retain only
the most experienced local
business bankers.
The skill of our bankers,
their local knowledge and
their dedication to our community
makes Indiana Business Bank
the superior business banking
choice in central Indiana

317.218.2180
Member FDIC

indianabb.com

Learn more at www.childrensbureau.org/corp-partners.

August • September 2015 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

15

Tales from
the Crypt:

Anti-Slavery Friends Cemetery
in Westfield
Michael Kobrowski, co-owner of Unseenpress.com, Inc., tells the history and
mysteries behind the old city offices in Westfield.

Currently Nicole is collecting stories for five more Haunted Backroads
books. The research is intensive. “I’m not into folklore,” she says. “These
are real stories of people we interview or what we’ve experienced on
our investigations.”
The Kobrowskis once
turned down a televi“I’m not into folklore. These
sion offer because
the producers wanted
are real stories of people
them to “enhance their
we interview…”
stories.” Ironically the
recent popularity of
~ Nicole Kobrowski
reality television shows
featuring ghost stories
has made the ghosts
more mainstream, and boosted their business!
Tours make up 80 percent of the business, and the publishing side, 20
percent. Is the publishing side profitable? “If you look at how much
time I put into these books and you break it down dollar-for-dollar,
then, no, it’s not,” Nicole says, “But if you look at the balance sheet, and
don’t take our time into consideration, then, yes, it is.”

Keeping the Quality High
Short-term goals are to add new tours and change existing ones to
keep them fresh. Nicole also wants to place her books in Barnes &
Noble! And if someone submitted a good script to them, they’d be open
to printing books from other authors.
Don’t look for the Kobrowskis to expand into a seven-days-a-week,
three-tours-a-day business! “We’ve taken ghost tours where our guide
was a student,” Michael says. “We don’t like that. We want to keep the
quality high.”
And, as Nicole notes, “Nobody cares about your business more than
you!” HCBM

Left: An investigator, Megan Oaks, examines a juvenile jail cell at the Hamilton
County Historical Society and is joined by a ghostly presence.
Right: Downtown Westfield is home to dozens of ghosts. Michael Kobrowski
discusses some of them.

16

Dating back to around 1845, this cemetery is a very
active site. The Kobrowskis first heard stories about
unexplained lights in the cemetery. When they
investigated, they saw them, but couldn’t confirm if
they were caused by anything supernatural.
Then they learned about a ghostly “lady in white”
from a family who used to live in a house adjacent
to the cemetery. The apparition frequented the
southeast side of the cemetery, but on several occasions she came into their home. One time the wife
was looking out the window and saw her come into
the backyard. The dog immediately began barking
at the basement door, but no matter how hard she
tried, she couldn’t get the dog to go down the steps
and into the basement. After the dog stopped barking and left the room, she waited a few minutes
and went down to the basement to investigate. She
found nothing. And nothing was out of place.
But the lady in white isn’t the only ghostly occupant of the cemetery. The owner’s son would often
cut through the cemetery on his way to school.
One morning he saw a man dressed in the garb
of a Union soldier leaning against a tree. He had
his kit with him and was smoking a cigarette. The
teenager figured the Historical Society was putting
on a program, although it was very early in the
morning for that, and there wasn’t anyone else in
sight. The “soldier” picked up his kit, flicked his
cigarette to the ground, nodded to him and started
walking to the far side of the cemetery. About halfway through the cemetery, he just disappeared. A
Civil War soldier is actually buried near that area
of the cemetery.
One November night the Kobrowskis hosted a
private tour in the cemetery. Everyone dressed in
Civil War-era clothing, including a teen who wore
a Confederate uniform. On this particular night, the
tour participants were able to communicate with
the ghost of a Union soldier (via a dousing rod). The
ghost didn’t understand why a Confederate soldier
was there and he wasn’t happy about it! On the way
home, the teen in the Confederate uniform complained that his chest felt like it was burning. When
he looked, there were three claw marks across his
chest. His mother told the Kobrowskis she didn’t
think he’d be visiting the cemetery again, but Nicole
saw him a year later and asked him about it. “He
said he’d probably go back—but he wouldn’t be
wearing a Confederate uniform!” she said.
October • November 2015 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

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October • November 2015 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

17

Economic Development

Its all about

PLACEMAKING
Quality places lead to thriving communities
By Mike Corbett

ou’ve heard
it more than
once when the
topic is economic
development: people
no longer go where
the jobs are. Increasingly, they (and
millennials are the
dominant demographic group here)
decide first where they want to live, then
seek out a job. So, the thinking goes, cities
have a new target: instead of attracting
large businesses (and the jobs they bring
to town), the goal is to attract talent, and
new businesses will seek out the talent.
If you buy that theory, then what is it
that attracts the talent? What are they
looking for, these millennials and other
talented folks we need to build our businesses? Traditionally its been amenities:
good schools and infrastructure, cultural
opportunities, good restaurants, good
housing stock. But there’s something else
people find attractive, a certain je ne sais
quoi often called “a sense of place.”

The Importance of Place
That sense of place is defined as “the feeling or perception that people have about
a place.” It’s often hard to point out the
exact reason that people feel attracted

to a place, but there’s little doubt that its
there. And, increasingly, designers and
planners are recognizing the attributes
that make a place attractive. The discipline that seeks to build places like that
is called “placemaking,” a term recently
used most prominently by the non-profit
Project for Public Spaces (pps.org).
The state of Michigan, which has seen its
share of economic decline, is convinced
that creating interesting places is the
key to economic revival. In fact, it sent
a team of experts to cities and towns all
over the state to coach the citizens on
placemaking principles. Last Spring the
Indiana Association for Community and
Economic Development invited the team
to Indianapolis to share their insights.
James Tischler is the Director of the
Community Development Division of
Michigan’s Housing Development Authority and Jamie Schriner–Hooper is the
Executive Director, Community Economic
Development Association of Michigan.
They and their associates compiled
information from dozens of sources into
a massive Powerpoint presentation that
took days to review and present. Here are
some highlights.

The Formula
Tischler presented this basic formula:

Good physical form, he says, plus good
social activity equals a positive psychological or emotional response, which
leads to economic prosperity. That’s
placemaking, pure and simple.
Form refers to the proper arrangement
of mass (buildings and objects) and space
(public or private). There is good form
and bad form, and though they can be
subject to individual taste, certain principles guide the design of buildings and
how they relate to their environment.
When those principles are followed, it
usually leads to good form. Violate them
and you are asking for trouble.
For instance, the optimal height of a
building is proportional to the width
of the adjacent street. To the extent
those proportions are followed, the
design creates good form and a positive
emotional response. Lot size, building
elements, windows, setbacks, street
layout, sidewalks, signals, landscaping, parking, signs, curbs and more, all
contribute to form.
Some characteristics of good form
include:
• Accessibility-allows easy circulation
within and between public spaces
• Comfort-perception of cleanliness,
character and charm

These six images show how placemaking principles can turn a “ho-hu

18

October • November 2015 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

• Sociability-physical fabric allows
people to connect
• Civic engagement is promoted and
facilitated
• Resilient and sustainable
Good form leads to activity, Tischler says.
People want to live, work and play in
places that are well designed. That activity
combined with good form elicits a positive
emotional response, which attracts even
more people in a virtuous circle. Eventually you’ve created a market and that leads
to economic development.

small investments, experimentation and
creative ways to put empty spaces back
into use.

Community Involvement
So, if it’s that simple, why don’t all communities have a strong sense of place?
Tischler maintains that most current
zoning codes are outdated and actually
discourage the practice. He advocates
what he calls “form based code.” It means
moving away from zoning that stresses
regulation and separation of uses, to one
that focuses on the creation of places.

Left: James Tischler, Director of the Community
Development Division of Michigan’s Housing
Development Authority and Jamie Schriner–
Hooper, Executive Director, Community
Economic Development Association of Michigan

Placemaking Defined
• The art of creating public “places of the soul” that uplift and
help us connect to each other.
• The process of creating Quality Places that people want to
live, work, play and learn in.
• Both an overarching idea and a hands-on tool for improving
a city, neighborhood or region.
• The process through which we collectively shape our public
realm to maximize shared value.
From “Creative Placemaking”
Michigan State Housing Development Authority

Schriner-Hooper specializes in two subsets of placemaking that address activity:
creative and tactical. Creative placemaking “engages partners from public, private,
non-profit and community sectors to
shape the physical and social character of
a community—through arts, cultural and
creative experiences.”
Tactical placemaking seeks to make
small, incremental improvements to “test
the waters” before launching full blown
initiatives. Its guiding principle is “lighter,
quicker, cheaper,” a term coined by the
Project for Public Spaces and widely adopted by many cities and towns. It stresses

Rebuilding a city’s zoning ordinance is a
tall order, and Tischler recommends engaging the entire community in the process through a charrette, a type of public
engagement “well-suited to creating formbase codes.” The community knows what
it wants, he insists, but needs a process to
express those desires. Developers will offer a community what its codes call for, so
revising the code is the ultimate answer to
creating quality places.
Presuming a community already has the
basic infrastructure in place (good roads,
good schools, modernized utilities and
services), there are certain elements that

• Green Spaces
• Regional Links to Rural and
Natural Places
But, why were Michigan economic development officials in Indianapolis sharing
their plans with a state that competes for
jobs and businesses? Like so many initiatives these days, this is a regional idea.
Michigan takes the view that the entire
Midwest needs a new vision to rebuild
once thriving cities and towns, and that
sharing the knowledge with its neighbors
will help raise the fortunes of the entire
region. HCBM

By David Nance
s the saying goes,
“Learn from the
mistakes of others, life is too short
to make them all
yourself!” The Failure
Institute, an initiative of Apprentice University, provides students, entrepreneurs,
business leaders, church leaders, elected
officials and educators a way to benefit
from each other’s failures. The Failure
Institute was co-founded by Ron Brumbarger, CEO of Bitwise Solutions and
Apprentice University and its mission
is to help guide you to future success by
learning from the past.

“The process of mentoring is helping
others to not repeat the same mistakes
and decisions you made that were costly
to you,” said TFI co-founder Brumbarger.
“There’s no reason for you to repeat a
mistake if I can help you prevent it. For
example, in starting a business, I can tell
you ‘this is the best way you can go about
this’, or ‘don’t go here, this is a problem’,
and I can help you prevent a mistake or
failure, and hopefully expedite your business getting started.”

Members of The Failure Institute (TFI),
will have access to a community-wide
collection of experiences from business
owners across the country, which will
continue to expand as membership grows.
Each member provides anecdotes of
mistakes they have made in the past and
how they learned from them and most

College students are another important
part of The Failure Institute. As members of TFI, college students will have
the opportunity to interact with members, gain powerful insight, learn from
professionals, and avoid the pitfalls that
you experienced when you started out.
The community provides an outstanding environment for networking and a
chance to invest in a new generation of
entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurship is synonymous with
risk, as anyone who has attempted to
start a new business is well aware. You
have a lot on the line: time, money,
energy, and effort are being poured into
your new idea. Naturally, you want to
maximize that investment by growing
a successful and sustainable business,
because the rewards are big.
Circumstances conspire against you,
difficult decisions abound and at times,
even with the best of intentions, you
just mess up. You chose the wrong supplier, and now the product has a defect
post-distribution; signed a bad contract,
and now you’re stuck; hired the wrong
employee, and a good client relationship
was compromised; or misinterpreted
customer feedback, and all of the sudden
we have New Coke. It’s not a matter of if
failures happen, it’s when.

importantly, how to avoid the same mistake again. Narratives are organized into
the planks of business, non-profit, K-12,
higher education, government, church,
law and justice, and history.

The Failure Institute plans to turn
that 20/20 hindsight into foresight by
tapping into the experience of successful business owners and provides the
opportunity for members to interact on

This innovative organization is built on
the mentor-apprentice model. In the past,
the previous generation would pass along
their knowledge to the next as a means of
furthering their craft or skill. Founder of

20

Membership Organization
Isabella Penola, co-founder of The Failure
Institute, is an incoming freshman at
Notre Dame University. “I feel that TFI
is vitally important to students.” said
Penola. “We get the wisdom, insight,
and guidance from business professionals that we can’t have on our own while
we’re still so inexperienced. This gives us
the chance to benefit from experiences
from all around the country and in all
areas of life, from education and business, to non-profit, church, and law and
justice. Everybody fails, including people
who have become great successes. It
shows that it’s okay to fail, to mess up and

October • November 2015 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

make mistakes, as long as you learn from
them, make changes in your mindset and
behavior, and turn those failures into successes in different areas of your life. TFI
gives us a chance to do that collectively.”
In addition to the online content, The
Failure Institute will hold regular events
where members can interact and participate in question and answer sessions.
About 35 people attended the first TFI
event at Launch Fishers. Some of the
speakers included Rainmakers Executive
Director Nikki Lewallen, Historical Solutions Founder Dr. Dan Miller, and DK New
Media CEO Douglas Karr.
A business membership with The Failure
Institute costs $99.99 per year, and college students can join for $19.99 per year.
Connect with the TFI team through their
website, www.thefailureinstitute.org, on
Facebook at facebook.com/thefailureinstitute or on Twitter @thefailureinst.
HCBM

Celebrating 85 years of providing

value beyond the numbers
1930 - 2015

Certified Public Accountants & Consultants

David Nance is an apprentice with Apprentice University in Indianapolis. He’s
an aspiring freelance writer specializing
in web content.

A Family Affair
Second generation builds on parents’ success
By Patricia Mangan

The Nguyens are living the American Dream while maintaining values
from their native Vietnam. A new
method of treating fingernails provided the opportunity for the family to start a nail spa in Noblesville.
After one year in business, Perfect
Nails has more than 400 customers
each week from as far as New Castle,
Elwood and Greenfield.

The Nguyens immigrated decades ago
to find a better life as there are few nail spas in Vietnam. “The culture is mainly farmers,
factories and old school,” said Tuan, the eldest brother. They first moved to Chicago, where
their dad did handyman work. He had been a shrimper in Vietnam, so they relocated to
the Gulf area of Mississippi where he could work in shrimping while their mom stayed
home and raised four boys: Tuan, Kevin, Nicky and Phillip.
They moved to San Diego where they all went to hair and nail school to learn the new
method. It utilizes a protein powder dip rather than the commonly used jel and acrylic
methods and is very popular in California.
Mrs. Nguyen found work in a San Diego shop and the rest of the family followed.
Their research revealed Indiana would be an ideal place to introduce the new method,
so the parents purchased the shop on Conner Street, eventually selling it to three of the
four boys when the parents opened a shop in Greenwood. Phillip works at the Greenwood shop.
While visiting his grandmother back in Vietnam, Tuan met Tammy and her family. The
two married and moved back to the states three years ago. Tammy spoke little English but
took some classes, and a year ago sent for her mom, who now works in the shop as well.

Work Ethic
The parents taught the kids that it takes hard work, long hours and a seven day work
week to achieve their goals. “Not everyone wants to work this way with little free time for
themselves but the Vietnamese will devote their lives to business and family,” says Tuan.
He and Tammy have a three year old child named Ethan who is in daycare and spends
weekends in the shop. Tammy’s mother helps by babysitting him as well as giving manicures and pedicures.
Jane Sullivan, owner of Associated Healing Arts in Noblesville said “As a business owner
myself, I have found this shop to be highly professional. ”Other customers enjoy the
friendliness of the Nguyens and are greeted with a big hello, a smile and sometimes even
a hug. Their work commitment has paid off and as business increases, they can both live
to work and work to live with time for more family life and entertainment. HCBM

22

October • November 2015 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

Gordon Insurance, headquartered here in
Hamilton County, is among the nationÕs most
prestigious insurance agencies Ñ specializing
in designing custom life insurance programs
and business strategies utilizing over 20 of the
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Buy-Sell Agreements
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Where Hamilton County
Home Owners and Service Providers
Meet to do Business
Exhibit Space is Now Available

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To reserve your space or request info

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774-7747

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Visit www.hchomeshow.com
October • November 2015 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

23

Roundabout

A Summary of Recent Retail Activity

By Samantha Hyde

Blackhawk Commons Rendering

The Center for Creative Artists

become the new home of Noblesville video production company 12 Stars Media.
Salon 7 is one of the newest tenants of The
Depot at Nickel Plate. CloudOne is moving
its headquarters from Indy’s north side to
The Switch development downtown.

NORTHERN HAMILTON COUNTY
BIP Supply is expanding its storage and
distribution facility at 120 W. County Line
Road in Atlanta. Hamilton County Area
Neighborhood Development (HAND)
has agreed to purchase Sheridan’s historic
Adams Township School building and redevelop it into apartments called “Blackhawk Commons.” The building has been
vacant since 2009.

CARMEL
The Village of West Clay has welcomed
the Village Spa to 12811 E. New Market
Street. Carmel-based Danny Boy Beer
Works is expanding to Michigan with a
new taproom in St. Clair and a second
production facility in the works.
The Delta Faucet headquarters at 55 E.
111th Street is undergoing a major 82,000
SF expansion that will include a new
showroom, research lab and offices.
Kenney Orthopedics has moved into
its new offices at 755 W. Carmel Drive.
Global IT consulting firm GyanSys
recently opened its new headquarters at
702 Adams Street with plans for major
expansion in the next few years. Men’s
private label clothing store J.Benzal is
moving around the corner in City Center
to 31 W. City Center Drive.
Merchants Bank of Indiana is planning to move its corporate headquarters
to a new 110,000 SF building slated for
construction as part of the Midtown development. A new 15,000 SF City Market
is also planned at the corner of 4th Street
SW & 1st Avenue SW.
The Center for Creative Artists has
relocated from Zionsville to 111 W. Main
Street in the Carmel Arts & Design District. International Talent Academy is
holding its musical theater classes at the
Carmel Christian Church across Main
Street from Carmel High School.
24

Spin cycling class facility Cycle Bar is
opening at 12697 N. Pennsylvania Street.
Carmel Music Academy, formerly
known as Jon E. Gee’s Music Room, has
moved to a new location at 13295 Illinois
Street. Jazzercise has moved into the
former Curves space in Meridian Village
Plaza Shopping Center near 136th & Old
Meridian Streets.
Christian Family Bookstore has relocated from its Carmel Drive location to
1950 E. Greyhound Pass. Hand and Stone
Massage and Facial Spa is moving into
a storefront at 14405 Clay Terrace Boulevard. Koto Japanese Steakhouse is
opening in the former Fox and Hound Pub
& Grille at 14490 Lowes Way.
Michaelis Dentistry has moved from its
former location at 96th Street & Keystone
Avenue to Winslow Aesthetic and Wellness Center at 2000 E. 116th Street. Nicole
Bryan Salon at Hazel Dell Corner is moving to a larger suite just one building over
at 13190 Hazel Dell Parkway.
Studio RE, a barre studio, is relocating to
a space inside the Carmel Racquet Club at
225 E. Carmel Drive.

FISHERS
Pine Creek Shoppes at 8970 E. 96th Street
recently welcomed a new salon, Nail Bar.
The former Discount Mattress at 8630 E.
96th Street is now open as a Dollar Tree.
The Walgreens at 9610 Allisonville Road
has closed. A Kroger Fuel Center is going
in at 7272 Fishers Crossing Drive. Primrose School is planning to build a new
12,200 SF facility at 7348 River Glen Drive.
Digital ad agency Statwax is now operating out of Launch Fishers. Media digitizing
company Memory Ventures has moved
from the new Meyer Najem building to a
larger space at Concourse at Crosspoint
just west of I-69. The downtown space will

Sure Shot Coffee
The owner of clothing store Vardagen
at 8684 E. 116th Street has opened Sure
Shot Coffee in the second story above the
shop. Progressive Eye Care Optometry
Office is moving into a former restaurant space at 8890 E. 116th Street. Holy
Family Episcopal Church at 11445
Fishers Pointe Boulevard is expanding its
footprint with a 4,000 SF addition.
The Kroger at 116th Street & Cumberland
Road is slated for a major expansion that
will add 18,000 SF to the store. Mezza
Mediterranean Grille is moving into the
space at 9775 E. 116th Street. Ambiance
Day Spa has opened at its new location at
9845 E. 116th Street. BoomBozz Pizzaria
& Taphouse is slated to open at 9869 E.
116th Street.
Geist Landing at 116th Street & Olio
Road is expanding, with new space available for retail, restaurants and a fitness
center. SuperCuts will soon be doing
business at 11630 Olio Road. Carmel
Lutheran Church is moving forward
with the construction of its new Fishers
campus at 13426 E. 116th Street.
In August, Vein Solutions opened its
newest location in St. Vincent Fishers
Hospital at 13861 Olio Road.
The Walgreens at SR 37 & 126th Street
has closed. Enterprise Marking Products is moving from its Westfield location to 12840 Ford Drive just west of SR
37. Next spring, the former Wild River
Nursery at 13279 E. 126th Street will
reopen as Wasson Nursery with a newly
constructed 13,000 SF garden center.

NOBLESVILLE
The Noblesville Chamber of Commerce has moved from downtown to a
new office at 14701 Cumberland Road.
Rustic Spa opened this summer on Prosperity Drive near the intersection of SR
37 & Greenfield Avenue. European Wax
Center is coming to Stony Creek Marketplace at 17167 Mercantile Boulevard.
The concrete grain elevators just south of
downtown on 8th Street were demolished
by North Central Coop this summer and
the site will now be sold to Hamilton
County Area Neighborhood Development (HAND) for the development of
the property.
In June, 1 of One Art Gallery opened to
the public at 942 Maple Avenue. South
of Chicago Pizza and Beef has opened
around the corner at 56 S. 9th Street, just
southeast of the Square.
Scott and Stephanie Smith have opened
The Smith House, an event center at
444 Lafayette Road.

In July, Community First Bank of
Indiana held its grand opening for the
new office at 5570 Pebble Village Lane.
Chapman Electric is constructing a new
17,000 SF storage building on its campus
at 1500 Westfield Road. Harbour Town
Diner is now open at Harbourtown Shoppes on the corner of Little Chicago and
Carrigan roads.

Big Red Liquors
WESTFIELD
A new Bub’s Burgers is planned for
Tournament Trail just west of US 31. Big
Red Liquors is opening at 966 Tournament Trail. In September, The Rail Epicurean Market doubled the size of its
downtown restaurant by expanding into
its second story.

Community First Bank of Indiana
The first Indiana location for Pittsburgbased restaurant chain Primanti Bros.
is slated to open near the new Cabela’s at
I-69’s Exit 210. Yankee Candle Company
is opening a new store on Harrell Parkway
in Hamilton Town Center. Helmer is adding more than 24,000 SF to its manufacturing facility at 14400 Bergen Boulevard.

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A development anchored by a new CVS is
planned for construction at 161st Street &
Spring Mill Road. DuraMark Technologies is constructing a new 17,000 SF facility at 16450 Southpark Drive.
The New Holiday Inn Express & Suites
(formerly Rodeway Inn and Comfort
Suites) at 15131 Thatcher Lane held its
grand opening in September. Supreme
Self Defense opened this summer at
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October • November 2015 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

WHERE YOUR SUCCESS TAKES ROOT.

25

Pitch-In

Notes from all over the county
to get hands-on automotive technical
training onsite at the Hare Truck Center
technician lab, while earning dual credit
at both NHS and Ivy Tech.
The State Department of Agriculture has
launched a program to encourage Hoosiers to buy food grown and processed
in Indiana. The Indiana Grown initiative connects businesses that use or sell
agricultural products such as restaurants,
grocers, wholesalers, processors and
farmers’ markets with Indiana-based
producers. Marsh Supermarkets has
signed on as a major retail partner. Currently 90% of the $16 Billion of food consumed annually in Indiana is from out of
state. More at www.indianagrown.org.
Apprentice University is offering a $5000
scholarship to its students to further their
education in software development, web
design, web development, mobile application development and related fields.
Called the Karen Podell Brilliance
Abounds Scholarship, its named for
the Business Department Chair at Westfield High School.
Sanders Glen Assisted Living in Westfield was named the Indiana Health Care
Association (IHCA) 2015 Assisted Living
Facility of the Year.

Beck’s Hybrids is building the first
private aviation hangar at the Indianapolis Executive Airport. A long-time
user of Indianapolis Executive, Beck’s
uses private aircraft to fly customers to
its Atlanta headquarters.
Noblesville Schools launched a new
automotive technician training program
in collaboration with Ivy Tech Community College and Hare Chevrolet. The
two-year program provides Noblesville
High School students the opportunity

26

Blue Horseshoe, a Carmel-based software firm specializing in supply chain
and logistics solutions, opened its first
international office in Amsterdam.

John DeLucia

Sean White

4,000 people from 36 states and eight
countries ran in this year’s Carmel
Marathon Week-end, an 11% increase
over last year. The Half-marathon event
is the fastest growing in Indiana.
The Census Bureau will start conducting a special census in October in Westfield, meant to help the city qualify for
state revenues based on population.
First Farmers Bank & Trust has applied to the Federal Reserve Board for
permission to establish a bank branch in
Flora, IN. Flora is about 40 miles north
of Sheridan, First Farmer’s Hamilton
County location.
John and Karen Newton, owners of
the Prairie Guest House in Fishers, won
a 2015 Hoosier Hospitality Award for
outstanding contributions to the tourism
industry. The award was presented by Lt.
Gov. Sue Ellspermann.
Ivy Tech Community College had
the most successful fundraising effort
among community college systems nationwide in 2014, according to a survey
conducted by the Council for Aid to
Education. Indiana’s community college
system raised more than $23 million
through the Ivy Tech Foundation, more
than double that of the second place
finisher. It’s the second year in a row
that Ivy Tech achieved the distinction.

John DeLucia, Chief
Lending Officer, Citizens
State Bank was named
one of the top 25 community bank influencers on Twitter by the Independent Community
Bankers of America.

Don Wettrick

Sean White, was promoted to General
Manager of Montgomery Aviation, which
operates Indianapolis Executive Airport.
He replaces Bobby Beem, who is becoming a full time corporate pilot.
Noblesville High School teacher Don
Wettrick was named the Indiana Innovation Award winner for 2015. The
award is presented by Centric, a professional organization dedicated to building
a thriving innovation network in Indiana.

Keith Hancock

James A. Buell

Keith Hancock joined Campbell Kyle
Proffitt as an associate attorney.
James A. Buell joined Citizens State
Bank as Relationship Manager in Fishers.

Connect your employees with their doctors in new and smarter ways.
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A stronger voice.
A significant presence.
A new business advocate in an ever-changing marketplace.
The Carmel and Fishers Chambers have joined to become OneZone.
October Luncheon:
Carmel State of the City Address
October 14 | 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Ritz Charles




Special Event Luncheon:
Mitch Daniels, Purdue University President
October 22 | 12 to 1:30 p.m.
502 East Event Centre

Join more than 500 business leaders
and chamber members to hear Mayor
Jim Brainard deliver the annual State
of the City address. Corporate tables
available.

Purdue University President Mitch
Daniels is changing the blueprint for
making higher education affordable.
Hear what he is doing to craft the
future of funding a college education.

Riverview Health at Work is offering Chamber members a 50% discount on
annual management fees for wellness services. To learn more contact our
Chamber Riverview Health at Work liaison:
Mindi Matthews, CHWC
Director of Health & Wellness
Phone: 317.770.4130
MmMatthews@riverview.org

NOBLESVILLE WORKS
The Chamber, in partnership with the Noblesville Schools and the City’s
Workforce Development Council members, have together launched Noblesville
Works. The goal is to strengthen the life success skills, best known as soft skills,
of our current and future workforce. The Noblesville Schools have long been
focused on building these skills in their graduates as have many community
organizations. Now through Noblesville Works the entire community has the
opportunity to join in a coordinated collaborative effort. The first step of the
program is to build awareness of the most critical skills needed as identified
by area employers. Each month a top-level skill area is highlighted such as
flexibility, teamwork, and initiative. Schools, community organizations such as
the Boys & Girls Club, and employers are each integrating the month’s theme
into their curriculum, programing, and training respectively.
The Chamber invites all Noblesville businesses and organizations large and small
to join the Noblesville Works initiative. Through the support of Duke Energy and
the City’s Economic Development Department, program support materials are
available for download at http://stayheregrowhere.com/Noblesville-Works.

November 9/11:30am-1:00pm

Follow us at:

Healthy Employees = Healthy Business = Healthy Bottom Line
As part of our healthy community initiative, the Chamber
has partnered with Riverview Health to bring employee
wellness programing to area employers large and small.
(This is a continuation of the Chamber’s efforts to bring big
business tools to small and medium size employers) Through
Riverview Health at Work, employers can choose amongst tiered levels of
service or choose to customize the program to better meet their specific
business needs. Program services can include wellness assessments and
coaching, biometric screening, online wellness portal, educational on-site lunch
and learn programs, ergonomic assessments and more. All Chamber members
will receive employee and employer wellness education electronic newsletters.
The Wellness Team at Riverview are credentialed in dietetics and exercise
physiology, certified in wellness coaching, certified in ergonomic specialists,
and are experienced health and wellness educators.

Your chamber is on the move and we have temporarily relocated to:
14701 Cumberland Road Suite 106. Our Mailing address is PO Box 2015 Noblesville IN 46061
Special thanks to Taylored Systems and Two Men and a Truck for their support with our transition.
30

On Friday, April 17, an unsuspecting Yogo Passion was
the recipient of one of Westfield’s Cash Mobs! As part of the
Chamber’s I-3 (Instant Impact Initiative) project, more than 25
people descended on the shop at 4:00 p.m. and surprised staff
by purchasing their wonderful yogurt and gift cards. If you’re
interested in participating in our next cash mob, please contact
the Chamber office at 317.804.3030.

A well-known Carmel landmark has a brand new lease
on life. The former Glass Chimney is now the home of Bru
Burger Carmel.
“We liked what was going on there at that corner with
the redevelopment and road work giving easier access to
those Carmel rooftops and we also liked up and coming
opportunities there,” said Mike Cunningham, owner of the
Cunningham Group which counts the newest Bru Burger
among its holdings. “We had a chance to redevelop the
Glass Chimney site and thought we could do something
with it.”
While the old house was saved,
the rest of the Glass Chimney
building was torn down and
the new structure built on
the existing foundation.

Secret Sauce
The Carmel Bru Burger
is considerably larger
than the Mass Ave. location in downtown Indianapolis. Carmel boasts 190 seats
inside and another 80 outdoor patio
seats—50 in the back and 30 out front.
“We liked the curb appeal of a patio in front so
people from the street could see it and we had the
space to do it,” Cunningham said.
The restaurant is decorated a bit differently than the
Mass Ave. site, with hardwood floors and a different
selection of cosmetic finishes—but all with a similar feel.
“It may be an eight dollar burger but you are sitting on an
upholstered chair or at a granite topped bar,” Cunningham said.
“We also work hard
at finding good
quality people to
“It may be an eight dollar burger
connect with our
but you are sitting on an
guests…we think
upholstered chair or at a
people feel that
when they go to
granite topped bar.”
Bru and have the
~ Mike Cunningham, owner
server and manager working the
floor and cooks in
the kitchen who want to deliver the best they can well, that is
our secret sauce.”
That may be the secret sauce, but one bite into a Bru burger and
you’ll likely be hooked.
October • November 2015 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

“Our burgers are a proprietary grind of whole muscle beef
grind,” Cunningham said. “Our burger toppings are a product of
our creative culinary team directed by our executive Chef Carl
Chambers. Our Bourbon Burger was named by Zagat as the
number one Burger in the State of Indiana.”
Other top sellers include the Bru Burger—topped with Tallegio
cheese, bacon, tomato jam, carmelized onion, chopped lettuce
and mayo; and the Mexicali—featuring white queso, pickled
jalapeno, guacamole, fried onion, and house BBQ.
“We also have very popular items such as
our Ahi Tuna Burger and Turkey Burger,”
Cunningham said.

Third Bru
Bru Burger Carmel features a full bar
with a craft cocktail list, craft beers and
tap wines.
“Wineries are making good wines available to
us in taps and we even have some made specifically
for us since we sell so much.” Cunningham said. “The volume
is high enough that we are getting some pretty unusual wines
from Napa and others willing to do wines for us.”
Response since Bru Burger Carmel opened August 10 has been
great, Cunningham said. He thinks customers are coming in for
a few reasons—because they remember the Glass Chimney and
because they are familiar with the Mass Ave. location.
“We have definitely had some come in and were very curious
to see how the new stuff turned out compared to the old Glass
Chimney and how the old house is being used. Certainly anything new people are going to try out but I think the majority
are coming in because they are familiar with us from downtown.”
Carmel is the third Bru in the chain, the second is in Lexington,
KY. A fourth is under construction in Cincinnati and another is
planned for the old Greyhound terminal in Evansville. HCBM
33

Hamilton County History

Noblesville Law Firm a Prominent
Player in County’s History
Campbell Kyle Proffitt celebrates 100 years in business
By Rosalyn Demaree
assius Gentry and
Frank S. Campbell
hung the Gentry &
Campbell shingle in
1915 above Crane Cigar
Store on Courthouse
Square in Noblesville.
They drafted wills, settled property
disputes and negotiated contracts.

trial in Madge
Oberholtzer’s
death. On the
morning Campbell
was to start presenting evidence
he’d spent a year
gathering, Stephenson dismissed
Frank S. Campbell
the firm, saying he
When Ernest Cloe’s term ended
had a deal with the
on the Hamilton Circuit Court in
governor for a pardon.
1921, he joined them, making the firm
Gentry, Cloe and Campbell until sons
The firm felt “like a widow that had
Lyman and Lawrence Cloe joined a
never been a bride,” Frank said in the
few years later, making it Gentry, Cloe,
firm’s 75th anniversary commemoraCampbell, Cloe & Cloe.
tive program. Stephenson returned to
Lyman left to teach at Indiana Law
School in Indianapolis. One of his students would be Frank W. Campbell, son
of CKP’s co-founder.

prison, eventually being paroled, never
pardoned.
A month after Frank W. took office in 1943 as county prosecutor,
he began a Navy hitch. Gov.
Henry Schricker appointed
Frank S. to complete the term.
Frank W. returned a few
months after Ernest Cloe died
in 1945.

Gentry left the practice to become Hamilton Circuit Court
judge from 1935-47.
He would admit
Frank W. to the practice of law in 1939.
Frank W. had an encounter
Being a founder’s son
with John Dillinger, several
didn’t leverage status.
Frank W. Campbell
years after the outlaw’s death.
Frank W. earned
United States Fidelity & Guar$12.50/week. He swept and mopped his
anty (USF&G) had insured several of
first day at the firm.
the banks Dillinger had robbed and was
His attention to labor changed when
Firestone Industrial sought legal advice.
So pleased with Frank’s work, Firestone
retained him as local counsel for the
Noblesville, Indianapolis and Wheeling,
W.Va., plants.

Stephenson and Dillinger
Connections
D.C. Stephenson, Ku Klux Klan grand
dragon, was moved from the Michigan
City prison to the county jail when he
hired Frank to defend him in a new
34

trying to recover remaining money. A
Hudson automobile registered to Carl
Helman, a Dillinger alias according to
USF&G, was discovered in a Hamilton
County field. Frank opened a Helman
estate, its sole asset the Hudson, which
Campbell sold for $5,000, allowing
USF&G to receive a $5,000 claim.
Frank S. was the county attorney for
several years, a position that let him,
with his son’s assistance, help plan a
move of the outdated county hospital
to a westside location and finance

and construct the $1 million Riverview Hospital.

Malan, Kyle, Proffitt Years
When the colorful C.V. Malan joined
the firm in 1952, it became Campbell,
Campbell & Malan. “Malan added a
new dimension to day-to-day proceedings,” the commemorative program
said. The man renowned for his legal
abilities once strolled through the office, “stripped to the waist in protest of
a faulty thermostat.”
Frank W. was president of the Noblesville Boys Club when it opened in 1953.
He had made the initial contact to get
the chapter, and the firm was instrumental in establishing the program
that continues today. The Jaycees
named Frank W. its 1952 Young Man of
the Year.
John Kyle joined
Gentry’s firm in
1955, then soon
joined Campbell,
Campbell, Malan
& Kyle. He was
active in civic
affairs, becoming the Jaycees
John Kyle
1958 Young Man
of the Year and acting in more than 30
theater productions.
Frank S. died in 1964, two years after
his book, The Story of Hamilton County,
was published.
A short time later, John Proffitt joined
the firm—a rather informal business.
“We billed clients by the seat of our
pants,” he said in the anniversary program. “If someone got a fee of $1,000, it
was a big deal.”
An office opened in Carmel to better
serve two longtime clients, Union State

October • November 2015 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

Bank and Carmel Clay Schools. Partners took turns staffing
the small office above the bank.
Frank W’s son, Robert, joined the firm in 1971 and was given
full-time responsibility for the Carmel office when it moved
to a house. The secretary/receptionist was Dottie Hancock, a
future Carmel mayor.
Proffitt, whose name would be added to the firm’s when
Malan withdrew in 1975, was making his mark in county
life and the legal community. His
acumen as a political organizer and
fundraiser became widely known.
The firm handled two of its biggest
cases in the 1970s. Campbell represented Carmel schools and Proffitt
the Hamilton Southeastern district,
both arguing against busing students outside the county to desegregate schools.

The two also represented people who
had paid on policies underwritten by Underwriters National
Assurance Co. after UNAC declared bankruptcy.
“As the firm has changed in response to changes in the practice of law, its primary goals have remained the same,” said
Kyle in the anniversary program, words that ring true today.
“Accomplishments, victories aren’t nearly as satisfying as
knowing you did something important for a person.”
Of the three names in the title, only John Proffitt still practices. Though he is semi-retired, he is one 16 attorneys with
the firm 100 years after its founding. Frank W. Campbell died
in 1991, Robert Campbell died in 2004 and John Kyle died in
2006. HCBM

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October • November 2015 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

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and graphics, T-shirt printing,
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Rotary brings together business and professional leaders to
provide humanitarian service,
encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help
build goodwill and peace in the
world. Each club meets weekly.
For more information on the
Noblesville Midday Rotary Club,
contact
President Paul Roberts
317-509-6729